The time interval from the moment when the "Asian-Pacific Bank" provided clients in opening deposits at 15, 59% before it began to actively offer new deposits, guaranteeing up to 8, 8% per annum, a little more than six months. But the path that ATB has traveled during this time is very thorny. At present, as a result of the financial rehabilitation procedure, 99.9% of the shares of the credit institution controlled by the Central Bank and ATB have been put up for auction.
Will there be any daredevils today who, seduced by the promised interest, will open profitable types of deposits widely advertised by this credit institution in PJSC Asian-Pacific Bank? Maybe yes. After all, there were quite a few of those who, hoping to make a profit, purchased securities at ATB offices, which in fact turned out to be "candy wrappers" that have no legal force. The amount of funds that citizens lost as a result of the purchase of dummy bills is estimated by experts at 4 billion rubles.
And the deposit was "Vekselny"
Since May 2018, a wave of discontent has been rolling across the entire Far East region from Sakhalin to Siberia from defrauded bill acceptors. People write complaints to various authorities from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the Central Bank, organize pickets and pogroms of ATB offices. However, the prosecutor's office refrains from initiating criminal proceedings against the bank. The refusal is motivated by the fact that the credit institution in relation to promissory notes carried out the functions of a domicile and was only an intermediary between citizens who purchased securities from the holder of the promissory note - FTK LLC. The fraudster is not the bank, but this financial institution. At the same time, the news and economic media are full of reports that the chairman of the board of directors of the Asian-Pacific Bank, Andrei Vdovin, is accused of embezzling $ 13 million received by the bank in the form of loans. But the measure of restraint in the form of arrest, issued in the criminal case by the Tverskoy District Court of Moscow, was elected in absentia - the billionaire left Russia more than a year ago and is still outside the country.
The main "hero of the occasion"
The active and enterprising businessman A. Vdovin has long been known in business circles as a "destroyer of banks". His Espobank was involved in a money laundering case. It was not without his participation that Baikal Bank went bankrupt. And the amount of $ 11 million unpaid on the loan by the collapsed Finprombank was regarded as a reason for initiating the procedure for declaring Vdovin personal bankrupt.
At that time, A. Vdovin's asset was the financial and banking group he created, which included the Asian-Pacific Bank, which operates mainly in the Far East region of the country. Together with two partners through affiliated companies, he controlled about 70% of the bank, being at the same time a conductor of risky and incorrect schemes for withdrawing money. Signs that Vdovin's business practices were pyramid-style were found during a central bank inspection.
The beginning of ATB's problems is associated with the revocation of the license in December 2016 from its subsidiary, M2M Private Bank, where at that time more than 6 billion rubles had already been withdrawn from ATB. Cross intra-bank lending and active targeted withdrawal of client money have resulted in the fact that it is no longer possible to return about $ 400 million of the group's total debt (according to experts, it is more than $ 1 billion).
Meanwhile, A. Vdovin, ex-co-owner of the Asia-Pacific Bank, who is accused of large-scale fraud and put on the federal and international wanted list, is allegedly hiding in Germany. A businessman at risk of 10 years in prison does not sit idly by, but works diligently with his assets:
- Vdovin's prompt withdrawal from the owners of the Baltic bank Bank M2M Europe AS nullified the efforts of the Deposit Insurance Agency to collect 1.2 billion rubles from this credit institution.
- Trying to avoid the seizure of personal assets, he decided to dissolve the marriage with his wife, generously gifting her 90% of the property upon divorce. However, the decision was challenged in court by ATB's institutional creditors, including the notorious Baikal Bank.
- FTK LLC, used to finance Vdovin's projects, is now called FTK-Factor. The organization is positioned as a factoring company specializing in "debt management and protection against non-payment."
The former FTC calls its main partner “a reliable bank, thanks to which we do not suspend financing for a single day - ATB”. What is it? It looks like the continuation of the life of the pyramid and the attempt of the former owners of the bank to return it back.
Battery yesterday and today
The first doubts about the viability of ATB, which was among the top 60 Russian banks in terms of assets, were expressed by auditors assessing the activities of the credit institution at the end of 2016. In conclusion, the data on unprofitableness and negative balance were documented. The capital adequacy ratio aspired to the critical level of 8.0% and amounted to 9.82%. These were signs that a default by the Asian-Pacific Bank could not be ruled out in the near future.
Fearing that ATB in the arbitration process will go for debts under the control of one of the creditors (International Commercial Union CJSC), the Bank of Russia in April 2018 took ATB for reorganization through the MC “Banking Sector Consolidation Fund”. Without introducing a moratorium on the satisfaction of creditors' claims, having lost 2.5 billion rubles in the process of additional capitalization of the rehabilitated bank, the Central Bank decides to put the Asian-Pacific Bank on sale. The regulator believes that it will be possible to sell it at a price not exceeding one capital. And in order for the asset to be offered to investors, it is necessary to regulate the problems of lawsuits related to the promissory notes of the FTK company, which were sold in the offices of ATB. Also, at the time of the sale, all questions of the bank's clients on subordinated bonds must be resolved.
The transfer of a credit institution to a new investor must be carried out before April 01, 2019. In the meantime, ATB continues to work without incurring any obligations to the defrauded bill holders (the deposits were not insured). The client base of the still "reliable" and called "operationally profitable" bank is about 800 thousand individuals, as well as more than 20 thousand enterprises and organizations.
At the clients' service in the head office located in Blagoveshchensk, Amur Region and in numerous branches of the joint stock bank, 145 offers and 10 options for deposits with a fork of interest rates from 0, 1 to 8, 8. Seemingly nothing suspicious. This is not an alarming figure of 15, 59% per annum, which at one time attracted customers. But in the reviews of those who want to place their savings at the maximum percentage, one can see pessimism and disappointment, since the attractive product deposit widget does not coincide with reality. Then there is an asterisk next to the deposit with the beautiful name "Golden", indicating the presence of special conditions. That is, the insurance is openly imposed or the obligatory photographing of the client is required. And the most profitable investment deposits can be placed only on condition that life insurance funds are invested in Rosgosstrakh or Alfastrakhovanie LLC.
Don't hide your money in banks and corners
According to experts, today the population of our country has about 4 trillion rubles in its hands. The interest of financial and credit organizations in attracting these funds to the public or private sectors of the economy is understandable. But at the same time, there will always be those who wish, who, like the Cat Basilio and Fox Alice, will advise the rich Pinocchio not to hide their money in banks and corners, but to bury them in the field of miracles. The only question is, who will collect a rich harvest of "golden soldo" from the tree grown in this field?
